TechWhirl Sponsors

About TechWhirl

TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.

For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.

Re: To document Windows functions or not?

At 01:40 PM 12/16/96 +0200, Bruce Brill wrote:
>I work for a software development company and am writing a user's
>manual for a new product which includes the standard Windows editing
>functions of Cut, Paste, Copy, Undo and Select All. The product is
>targeted for a specialized, professional market, and it is expected
>that users will already be comfortable with Windows software. This
>being the case, should I document the standard Windows editing
>functions, or is it reasonable to assume that they will be
>understood? All input on this question most welcomed.

I generally include some note of standard functionality in the
product overview. For users who should be relatively savvy, it
may be as succinct as:

The following standard editing functions are enabled
throughout the product where appropriate: